Abstract

The case describes how Inkomoko (formerly known as the African Entrepreneur Collective) focused on helping young growth-oriented entrepreneurs in Africa build businesses and in turn create jobs for the continent's unemployed. The case initially touches upon the decision to rebrand AEC and its inception by Julienne Oyler (Oyler), and Sara Leedom on August 1, 2012, in San Francisco, California, US. The case describes Inkomoko’s operational model in Rwanda and how it successfully replicated it in Kenya and Ethiopia. The case then discusses the impact of Inkomoko on Africa. As of 2022, Inkomoko had worked with over 1600 entrepreneurs and had created over 5,500 jobs. It expected to continue to work with business communities in refugee settings and deploy more investments and digital services and market-linkage strategies that would ensure they grew. Inkomoko had been able to support 12,000 entrepreneurs from 2012 to 2022. However the company planned to work with over half a million businesses in more than 40 communities, in five countries by the end of 2030.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the need to create adaptive social impact solutions
• Identify the need for alternative financing options to marginalized segments of the population
• Examine the impact of business accelerators on improving the livelihoods of refugees
• Assess how the accelerator can forge meaningful local partnerships and build market linkages for different communities

Keywords

Impact Investments; Inclusive Financing; Entrepreneurship ecosystem; Entrepreneurial Mentoring & Training; Market-linkage strategies; Community building; Ecosystem development; Economic Empowerment